The present invention relates, in general, to shift lever tower assemblies and, in particular, to an assembly for limiting the movements of a vehicle shift lever to fore and aft and side to side.
The use of a spherical ball or bushing attached to a shift lever and received in a spherical race is well known in the prior art. Furthermore, it is well known to utilize a pin and a slot to limit the movement of the shift lever in the desired directions or shift pattern. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,850,047; 4,285,250; and 4,355,543 disclose the use of one or more pins mounted in the race and engaging complimentary slots formed in the spherical ball or bushing on the shift lever to limit the movement of the shift lever. Conversely, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,333,360 and 4,457,188 disclose one or more pins extending from a spherical ball or bushing to engage complimentary slots formed in the spherical race of the bearing to limit movement.